NJ DOT Commissioner Suggests Bus Pickups on Manhattan Streets
The plan would allow passengers to avoid the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Thursday, May 10, 2012 | Updated 11:21 AM EDT
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New Jersey Transit bus passengers might be able to avoid the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson wants NJ Transit to explore picking up passengers on the streets of Manhattan and bypassing the congested terminal.
According to The Record, Simpson told NJ Transit's board on Wednesday passengers might be able to board on Manhattan's East Side or at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
Buses would make a series of stops before entering the Lincoln Tunnel and returning to New Jersey.
“We know that we’ve got physical constraints with the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We also know that bus ridership is rising as the result of the rising cost of fuel and increased tolls. So we're looking for smarter solutions,” Simpson said, according to The Record.
New York City Transportation Department spokesman Scott Gastel tells The Record newspaper the agency hasn't received a request from NJ Transit, but would closely review any.
The Port Authority declined comment.
NJ Transit pays $1.78 million a year to use the Port Authority and George Washington bridge bus terminals.
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